How to Write Funny

So, you need a few tips on how to write funny? No one knows exactly what makes a person laugh but I do know a couple of writing tricks to guarantee a giggle. First, I hunt in books, newspapers and the Internet for curious words and clever phrases. Then, I use my collection to enrich my writing and keep it fresh. Here are a few examples of my word anthology:

Onomatopoeia

Pronounced (on-o-mat-o-pee-a): noun. The naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss)

Originally, Yiddish was a language spoken only by Eastern European Jews. I fancy the look and sound of Yiddish words. They roll off the tongue, smooth and unique, adding the right amount of excitement to a sentence. Yiddish words make your characters unforgettable with spicy dialogue and description.

Funny Words

Some words capture your attention and demand to be noticed. I consider these “fun to say” words. They are fun to pronounce, fun to read and fun write. Use some of the examples below in your next writing assignment.

Favorites

Effervescent – bubbling, vivacious, lively

Wasabi – Japanese condiment made from the root of an herb

Kerfuffle – a disorderly outburst or disturbance

Boondoggle – is a project that is considered a useless waste of both time and money

Comments

I remember being on a plane and seeing a woman reading a book I had written that had been published a couple of years earlier. She was laughing hysterically. I was distraught. What? I don’t remember writing anything funny in that book. What the hell? After about 2 hours, I finally got up the nerve to introduce myself to her and ask her why she was laughing so much. She was thrilled, asked for my autograph and told me what a comedian I was. Who knew?! After that, I just embraced it and the let it fly! Adored the read, thanks for sharing.

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Stacey Gustafson is the bestselling author of Are You Kidding Me? My Life With an Extremely Loud Family, Bathroom Calamities, and Crazy Relatives, ranked #1 Amazon in Parenting & Family Humor and Motherhood. She’s also an inspirational speaker, blogger and comedian. Her short stories have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul, seven books in the Not Your Mother’s Book series, as well as Midlife Boulevard, Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, Pleasanton Patch, Bay Woof, and Better After 50. She writes the blog, Are You Kidding Me?, where she dispenses her humorous take on kids, husbands, parents and everything in between.

She has been featured in The Monthly, East Bay’s Premier Magazine of Culture and Commerce as “The New Erma Bombeck,” The East Bay Times, and Toastmasters Magazine.

Her awards include Erma Bombeck Humor Writer of the Month, California Writers Club, Tri-Valley Branch, winner of 2015 Prose Contest, Semi-Finalist in the 2015 Kindle Book Awards, Advanced Toastmaster Bronze award, and Best Comic of the Month at Tommy T’s Comedy Club. She performs stand-up throughout the East Bay.

She lives in Pleasanton, CA with her college sweetheart, Mike, and a white furball named Stanley who loves peanut butter treats. Visit her popular blog at StaceyGustafson.com, Facebook @StaceyGustafsonWriter, and Twitter @RUKiddingStacey.

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